A EUROPEAN SUBJECT GUANGZHOU ENAMEL AND CINNABAR LACQUER SNUFF BOTTLE

of truncated moonflask form, resting on a waisted foot and upright neck, both of oval-section, the faces comprised of famille-rose enamel panels, each painted with a mother and child in an interior setting, enclosed by radiating petal lappets, on a carved cinnabar lacquer body on a wood base, featuring lotus and floral motifs on a diamond diaper ground, with petal lappet borders below the bronze mouth and footrim, the recessed foot lacquered black

Christie's New York, 2nd June 1994, lot 503.

There are traces of lacquer on the mouth, interior of the neck, and foot. Some pitting to enamel areas, particularly on one face. Minor chips to the lacquer, most noticeably on the mouth. In otherwise good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

An almost identical bottle is published in Clare Lawrence, Miniature Masterpieces from the Middle Kingdom: The Monimar Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles, London, 1996, no. 51, pp. 24-25, and no other comparable bottles are known. As both bottles are of the same size, it is possible that they were created as a pair, with the enamelled panels made concurrently -- two of one picture, and two of the other.

According to Lawrence, 'It is extremely unusual to find the combination of lacquer with enamel panels. The main body of the bottle is in typical Chinese style and can be dated by comparison with other works of art to the late eighteenth century. It is likely that the panels existed first, painted delicately in the style of the French enamellers, with a typical scene of a European lady. The lacquer body of the snuff bottle would then have been made to frame the pictures on both sides of the snuff bottle,' op.cit., p. 25.